Faithless
by Yuriko Quested
Summary: Mutants, hated and misunderstood, are forced out onto the streets. Murderers, thieves, mercenaries..it's all in the name of living. The competition for money is fierce, even deadly. Enemies are made every day. But when two young thieves clash over a bag of coins, will something instead of rivalry spark? Can they melt each other's hearts, and fight for a better life together?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! I've had this idea bouncing around my head for a while so I thought I'd write it up for your entertainment! Yay! Now, I know what you guys must be thinking: Yuriko and Janos? Out of all the parings, why _them? _Well, both of them are my favourite X-men characters so how could I not pair them up ate some point? Though I do love Logan, I thought Yuriko could be paired with someone different for a change. And hey, her and Janos have a few things in common, believe it or not! They were both captured and experimented on by William Stryker (Janos in Wolverine: Origins, Yuriko in X2). They were both under complete control of their leaders (Yuriko because of the mind-control serum, Janos for his own reasons, I'm sure), probably doing things they didn't want to do. I mean, did you _see _how sad Yuriko looked when Logan impaled her with the needle? I cried.**

**Oops, I think I'm rambling on a bit, hahaha! But I hope I've proved that this pairing isn't that strange after all. Yes, they never had a confrontation in the movies but does that really matter? **

**I'm new to fanfiction so I'm still getting used to having an audience to my writings. It can be a bit daunting, you know? So tell me what you think! Leave a review if you've got the time! By the way, 'XxxxX' means change of scene, just to clarify! Thank you so much for clicking on this page, I really _ really _hope you enjoy this story! (Check out my other fanfiction, too!)**

**Enjoy!**

Yuriko ran into the alleyway and kept running till she was sure that the shadows concealed her from street view. Only then did she slow her pace to walk, then eventually stopped. Turning to look over her shoulder, Yuriko watched the street carefully to make sure that no one had seen her. No shouts came from the night, no one screaming that anything had been stolen.

Grinning, Yuriko brought her hand out from her black cloak. In her palm sat a heavy drawstring bag; pulling it open, her eyes widened at the sight of all the golden coins inside: she'd hit the jackpot. This was enough to make her last three months. It was the most promising treasure she's captured in all her years of thieving, apart from clothing. Yuriko closed up the bag again and pulled her cloak closer over her shoulders, knowing she wasn't out of the woods yet. All of the years on the streets of New York had taught Yuriko many things; one of which was to spend any riches wisely and quickly. Anyone else could get their hands on her coins; they could take it for themselves. Well, let them try. A small hiss escaped her lips and Yuriko flexed her fingers. Someone had stolen from her once, and they had payed the price with their life. Though she could have, Yuriko hadn't made a name for herself on these streets. She'd had plenty of opportunity, but she wanted to remain unknown. Those criminals who _did _have a name for themselves were feared by everyone. The three most dangerous gang leaders ran through her mind: Azazel, _the _Wolverine, Jason Stryker...

Yuriko pulled the cloak hood from her head and ran a hand down the back of her short, black hair. She knew that she had the skills to join any gang available; once a member from Azazel's gang had seen her take a pearl necklace straight off an old woman's neck. She had even been asked if she would try out for the gang, but Yuriko hadn't accepted the offer. She could look after herself. She didn't need people watching her back or sharing their thefts with her. She was on her own, and that was how she liked it.

Shaking the feelings of the past off, the young girl pulled the hood over her head once more. Yuriko's cloak swayed elegantly behind her as she walked deeper into the shadows. Had anyone been watching her, they might have thought they were in the presence of royalty from the way she moved. A smirk twisted at Yuriko's lips; with all these coins she would have a feast fit for a Queen. She could do with it, too. With sharp cheekbones and an emaciated figure, it was a wonder that her body carried enough muscle to hold her together.

A footstep suddenly made her snap around; her cloak followed in a flutter of black silk. There, at other end of the alleyway, stood a figure. Yuriko narrowed her eyes; from this distance, all she could make out was that they were tall and lanky; any further detail besides their messy looking hair she couldn't see. Without taking another step forward or back, the girl stood her ground. Tightening her hand around the soft bag, Yuriko defiantly lifted her chin and called to them across the distance, "What do you want?"

The silhouetted figure did not answer. Nor did they move an inch. They only stood there staring at her while she stared back. Bristling, Yuriko hissed through her teeth and took a threatening step forward to assert herself, "Get off my property!"

The silence was drawn out by the night; the air grew thicker and thicker by the second. Sucking in a breath of annoyance, Yuriko lifted her chin again. Fine, if they were going to ignore her, she was going give them the same treatment. She was about to turn around and stalk the other way when the figure finally moved. Their hands - which had been still by their sides this while time – were brought forward in a violent sweeping motion toward her.

Instantly, a wall of wind hit her, knocking her off her feet. Yuriko landed on her spine with a sickening crunch; her vision swum horribly. The bag nearly slipped from her grasp; clutching it with both hands, Yuriko pushed herself back onto her feet, her back to the stranger. God, what had just happened? Had this person just controlled the _wind?_ The realisation barley had time to hit her before something else did: a foot flew into the back of her left knee, causing her leg to collapse underneath her. The bag was wrenched from her fingers while another hand smashed her face into the concrete. Pain was so bright that red flashed behind Yuriko's eyes; it was gone the moment she lifted her head from the ground. The figure had already put several meters between them, the distance gaining as they increased their sprint.

A snarl of rage ripped from Yuriko's throat: no one stole from her! Shoving herself back to her feet, Yuriko tore the cloak from her neck and threw it to the ground. Pity to throw it away, but she could take another one any other time. It would only slow her in her chase for those coins, for what she needed to survive. Without a second thought, Yuriko ran after the thief. They were not going to live to see the morning.

**XxxxX**

Janos's breath stuck in his throat as he ran. His feet pounded against the street path; he whipped his back to steal a glance of his shoulder. The girl wasn't following him; the bag he had taken from her was heavier than he thought. There must be a lot of coins in there.

He hadn't felt bad taking from her; he was a thief, after all. Like the million others on the street, he stole what he could to survive. It was all in the name of life. And tonight must have been the best theft since…well, since forever. He didn't dare look back now he had to keep running from that girl. If it came to it, he would kill her. He didn't enjoy killing, as some criminals did, he only did it when necessary. It taken a full wall of wind to distract that girl long enough to pull the bag from her iron grasp; judging from that, he didn't exactly want to be up against her.

His ability to control the wind had been with him since he was young; he couldn't imagine life without it now. According to government's "wanted" signs, he wasn't the only… mutant – as humans were calling them now – he wasn't the only mutant around. There were hundreds of people out there like him, Janos just didn't let himself get close enough to anybody to know.

He himself had the ability of aerokinesis; one of his favourite things to do with his power was to create tornados. There was nothing the sensation of spinning, of feeling the power of the wind swirling all around him and knowing that it would shield from harm. But with every power came a tense border between complete control and absolutely none. When his emotions overwhelmed him, be it grief or anger, Janos' control on his actions and his powers would slip drastically. This often ended in freak hurricanes and the boy finding himself surrounded by bodies and bloodshed when his senses finally returned.

An example of that had been only a few weeks ago when Janos had returned from a day's work to find his best friend with his throat torn out. Janos had instantly tracked down and killed the murderer in retaliation, only to find out that it was Azazel's right hand man. Since then, he had been hiding from Azazel's wrath, knowing that he would be brutally slaughtered if he was seen. He wasn't sure how many people knew him; if anyone recognised him, they were told to hand him over – alive – to Azazel and his crew.

So now, here he was, running away with a bag of coins that he had just stolen from a teenager. A small grin found its way onto his lips; it felt good to know his opponent would never find him. After all, she was only a girl.

There was a snarl of rage from somewhere above him. Before Janos could blink, the girl had fallen from the perch of the left alley wall and dropped in front of him. He stumbled to a halt so violent he nearly fell over. Janos could feel his eyes growing wide; _how had she done that? _The alleyway walls stretched meters above their heads; to drop from that height would be suicide. Had she _climbed _onto the wall and been running across it all this time? No wonder he didn't think she had followed him!

The girl was in a feral landing position; her knees were bent and apart while one hand pressed to the ground. The other hand was raised above the concrete, her fingers bending like cat's claws. She had her head raised and was staring at him with soul-black eyes filled with hatred. Her cloak was gone and up close in the moonlight he could see that she wore a tight black crop top and leather pants. Her sharp face wore a twisted snarl.

Janos knew that he had one more chance to get away from her, and he didn't waste a second. With his free hand he gave one sharp swirling motion; that was all that was needed to create a whirlwind at her feet. Before the girl could comprehend what was happening, Janos used the wind to slam her up against the brick wall, then throw her body to the ground as hard as he could before running past.

His heart was slamming in his chest like a drum, his mouth dry: _she was like him! _She was mutant; she had to be! No normal person could catch up to him as fast as she did, let alone run along the top of a building and jump off it without dying. But this time, he knew that he had won this fight. The last time he had thrown someone against a wall that hard, their skull had shattered into a million bits of bone. He grinned again, though what he really felt like doing was flopping to the ground with exhaustion. Up ahead was the local lake; he was nearly home.

Knives suddenly cut across his back, so fast and viscous that the pain didn't even have time to register. He open his mouth to scream or shout, but he could do neither before his legs were knocked from him in a sweeping blow. Janos crashed to the ground on his torn back and his eyes instinctively closed. The bag flew from his hands, spilling coins over the pavment. Every fibre in the boy's body was screaming in agony; sticky blood ran from his back and soaked into his tattered clothes. A fist smashed into his jaw with such force that white pain flashed in his vision. Blood gushed from his mouth the moment he opened it to scream. His eyes were screwed so tightly that they burned. Someone was over him, their bony but surprisingly strong legs squeezing his sides painfully.

"That's what you get for stealing from me," a cold voice hissed directly above him. It was her, he realised numbly: that girl. "I should kill you for what you did."

Janos felt a knife against his throat, long and thin. She didn't move it, and he swallowed deeply. This wasn't the first time he had had a knife pressed to his throat, but something told him it would be the last and that was what made Janos afraid. He would never admit it, but he _was _afraid of this young girl. She had managed to get the better of him, something no one else had. Janos had thought she was just another Waste, what he called those who died because they were hopeless at street-life. God, how _wrong _he was.

His mind screamed at him not to open his eyes but they opened anyway. The first thing they met was the black eyes of the girl. He could see no remorse in them, no guilt for the boy which lay pinned underneath her. Then Janos noticed the rest of her face. Her bones jutted from her pale skin like a skeleton's; when was the last time she had eaten? She was so much thinner than every other thief he had seen. _In her state,_ he thought, _she should be dead_. Then he let his eyes roam from her sharp cheekbones up to her hair. It was short, like a style he had seen locals wear; _looks cute on her, _he decided almost lazily, his mind starting to haze over. _The jagged cut suits her small frame._ Finally, his eyes found her lips. Her mouth was curled into a snarl, one that he thought he would only see on a wolf.

"Go on then," he gasped out through his bloodied lips, "Kill me. It's the least I deserve."

The girl didn't move, nor did her expression. Realising that he had a shot at redemption, Janos blinked up at her and said – though every word hurt like hell, "I'm sorry I took the money from you. You clearly need it more than I do –"

"Stop with your pity," she hissed, cutting him off. "We're thieves, we take for ourselves. And _thieves," _she pressed the blade harder against his skin, "_do not _beg for their life."

"I wasn't –" Janos almost choked on his own blood; it was gathering at the back of his mouth and slipping down his throat. "I – I'm trying to say that _I'm sorry –"_

"Don't be," the girl's eyes flashed. "You've given me a chance to kill again; something I haven't done in a long time."

God, who was she? Janos's mind swum; he knew some criminals loved to kill but he had never seen a girl this age so bloodthirsty. At that moment that he knew he _had _to know her name. The curiously was too much to bear. So, with one last gasp of breath, he asked, "What's you're name?"

The girl's eyes flickered over his entire face, taking in for the first time his long hair and slightly-almond shaped eyes. Both were as black as the night sky they lay under. He knew she was weighing him up, to conclude if she could give away something so personal. A thief never gave their name away unless they wanted to be known by it; Janos had never told his to anyone and it was clear that the girl never had too.

"Yuriko." The girl finally hissed, her beautiful eyes as sharp as flint.

Janos' mouth curled into a smile through the blood. She didn't smile back at him, only snapped in an ice-cold tone, "Yours?"

"Janos."

"Janos?" She sneered back at him. "What is that, Brazilian?"

"Spanish." He turned his head to side and coughed; blood exploded from his lips. It cleared his airway momentarily, and he found himself gasping in air.

"You're a long way from home, pretty boy." Her tone was snarky and cruel, though underneath it he thought he detected a sense of something else…could it be sadness?

"So are you," he answered when he had enough breath back to speak again. Her name was Japanese and by the slight tang her English held, she still carried an accent.

"Oh, you're so clever." She said in a mocking tone. Then her expression and eyes hardened again and she hissed. "Pity you're about to be killed by a girl."

"Wait," Janos cried as he felt blood dribble from a thin cut on his throat. He locked his eyes onto hers, staring straight at her. "You're like me, aren't you? You're a mutant."

"So?" She moved the blade against his skin, causing him to swallow hard; agony drilled into his neck and he felt blood dribble from the cut and pool in the dip of his collarbone.

Janos suddenly gasped as the world began to sway, his consciousness starting to slip. _Don't close your eyes! _A voice yelled inside his mind. _Don't, or you'll die! _Sleep was covering him in a warm, deep blanket and he wanted nothing more than to give into it. His eyes began to flutter shut, the image of the girl above him fading away and blurring into the night sky. No longer could he feel the pain of his back or throat, or the hot blood against his clothes. Janos stopped fighting to stay awake and instead let the blackness take him in a deep wave.

**What did you think? Good, bad, ugly? Leave a review! Once again, thank you for reading this, from the bottom of my heart! The next chapter will be up in the next day or so! Yay!**

**Till then, have a good day! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey people! It's me again, yay! Thank you so much to those who have read the first chapter already, I really hope you enjoyed it! I didn't expect to get that kind of ****response so quick, so thank you! Well, as you have probably guessed, this is chapter two! Last time where we left off, Yuriko had just murdered the boy who had stolen her coins..or had she? :3  
>Maybe this criminal has a heart in her after all, eh? Or is she just cold to the bone? (See what I did there?) Sorry, I know I'm a terrible joker, I just couldn't resist.<strong>

**Anyways, on with what you really came here for! Chapter 2!**

Yuriko sat against the brick wall of her alleyway, her home. The night air was warm against her skin and she drew her arms tighter against her chest. Yuriko had recently stolen more clothes for herself; ripped jeans, a black leather jacket and knee-high boots. Personally, she liked the boots the best; with heels like this, it was much easier to wound an enemy – that is if she hadn't sliced them to bits with her talons already.

Looking down at her hands, she rubbed a thumb over a shiny, silver nail. At first glance it just looked like nail polish, but it was actually metal. Janos hadn't known it, but the blades she had cut him with that night had come from her fingers. Yuriko _was _a mutant; she could extend her nails to the point where they were half the length of her arm. So when that boy, Janos, had cried that he was like her… Yuriko couldn't have described her feeling at the point. She had always been alone, only crossing paths with others when she needed to. Well, now that had changed.

Turning her head to look at the wall opposite her, she watched as Janos breathed in his slumber. After his heart had given out, Yuriko had dragged him back here and proceeded to take care of him. She didn't want to at all – she had wanted to leave him dead – but she couldn't.

Using the money from the bag she had brought medical supplies to keep him alive. In order to tend to his back, his shirt had been removed. Five slashes cut across the skin of his back, a whole hand of her talons; the wounds would scar wonderfully. From all the blood he had lost, Yuriko had been forced to transfer some of her own into him. It didn't bother her; she had a healing factor meaning that her blood regenerated like crazy.

In the light of the full moon, she had a full view of the boy's stomach muscles moving as he breathed. Most women dreamt for a man like this, Yuriko mused as her eyes roamed over his abs and up to his face. He was certainly handsome, there was no denying that. With a strong jaw and long, black hair – dishevelled as it was. Pity he was a criminal; someone would gladly take him as a boyfriend.

Yuriko was snapped out of her thoughts when he gave a small moan, his head jerking to the side. Instantly, she drew her knees to her chest. _Jesus – is he having another nightmare?_ Every time one struck, she felt the strength of his mutation. The wind would pick up, tossing leaves around like ragdolls. As she watched, Janos' breathing fastened to the point where it was normal speed. No, he wasn't dreaming…he was finally waking up.

Janos' head jerked again; she saw his eyelids flutter as he tried to wake. She wanted to look away from him, but for some strange reason she couldn't. So instead she saw his eyes open and stare straight at her. They were glassy, both from sleep and the medication she had been giving him. His cracked lips moved and his voice came out, choking into the night sky. "Y…Yuriko?"

Yuriko stared at him, narrowing her eyes to the point where she saw him through slits. "Good. You're finally awake."

Janos looked around once, groggily, then put his hands to the ground and started to push himself straighter against the wall. "You don't sound very pleased to see me –"

He was cut off by a sharp cry of pain and instantly slumped back down; with her highlighted senses Yuriko heard that one of the bandages over his wounded back had been torn. _Idiot, _she hissed in her mind.

As she watched him try to make himself comfortable Yuriko snapped, "I'm not. I should have left you there once you'd died."

"Wait…Wait…" Janos' eyes were gradually coming clearer as he absorbed this information. "I died?"

Yuriko nodded, no words being needed to answer his question.

"How long was I…gone?"

"Forty four days. One month and two weeks exactly."

She watched as Janos looked down at himself, suddenly realising that he was bare-chested. "You… you took off my shirt?"

He looked back up into her stony gaze and grinned at her with boyish charm. With a raise of his eyebrows, he asked in a smug tone, "Like what you see?"

Yuriko snorted though her nose, trying to hide the slight blush that had crept into her cheeks. "Stop flattering yourself. I only did it to tend to your wounds. If I hadn't you would have remained dead."

Silence followed her words, in which Janos finally managed to push himself up against the wall more. Yuriko looked away from him when she saw that he was staring at her; she didn't trust the look in his eyes. It was soft and gentle, something that no criminal should be. You couldn't be a thief or a murderer and be soft, it just didn't work. You would become a Waste.

"Why did you save me?" Janos asked quietly, breaking the quiet.

Yuriko gritted her teeth in frustration; didn't he know anything about these streets? "Haven't you even heard of the truce law?"

"No, what is it?"

"It states that once a street person has given their born name to another, they can not kill them. A truce passes between them, only for two months. Once those two months have passed, they become enemies again."

"So you've been looking after me all this time to keep me alive?"

"Yes," she snapped at him, finally looking at him again. "Do you know how restless you get when you have a nightmare?"

Janos knew she was referring to how mental the wind got when he dreamt. He looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry to put you through that."

Running the hand through his messy hair, he managed to smooth it down a bit. In the light, Yuriko could see his eyes soften into a look of complete gratitude.

"Yuriko," His voice was so kind that she had to look away again, "Thank you."

She stiffened at those two words, never having them directed to her before. "Don't thank me, boy. If I could have left you, I would have."

Janos looked at the ground, face flushed. Yuriko knew he was trying to befriend her but her heart was as hard as the metal on her bones. She had never had a friend, nor did she want one.

"So," Janos began, clearing his throat. "First things first: how old are you?"

"Why would I tell you that?" She snarled at him viciously; now he was starting to anger her with all his questions and his cocky attitude.

"Because," he smiled at her a bit, making her nails bite into her palms. "We've got two weeks before we're allowed to rip each others throats out. We might as well get a bit familiar with each other."

Yuriko wanted to snap at him again, but held her tongue. He was right, she realised. Besides, what harm could it do? Once the two weeks were up, she would gladly kill him. "Seventeen."

Janos' smile brightened. "I'm eighteen. Look at that, we're only twelve months apart."

"Great," she mumbled under her breath.

"How did you end up on the streets?"

Yuriko whipped to face him, eyes blazing. "I'm not telling you that."

"Aw, come on!" He teased with a disarming grin. "A beautiful girl like you? You must have had a family at some point –"

"I said _no_! I don't want to talk about it!" Yuriko was _so _close to pushing herself up and launching at him. Her fingers itched to release her talons, yet she somehow managed to hold them back.

Janos' hands rose in surrender; he could see how he had nearly made her snap.

"Okay, okay," he apologised hastily. "I'm sorry!"

Yuriko let a growl rumble in her throat, relaxing against the brick wall again. If he knew how close he had really been…

"Well, I'll tell you my life story, then."

"Please don't." Yuriko muttered, yet he didn't pay any heed to her disinterested tone.

"Why?" he smirked at her, that boyish glint making its way back into his eyes. "You afraid you might start to like me?"

Yuriko's face twitched; even she couldn't hold the hint of a smile that was playing on her lips. God, what did this boy do to her?

Janos cleared his throat twice, moving around to make sure that he was comfortable before starting his story. "I was born in Spain, the second youngest child of four. I had two older brothers and one younger sister; Pablo, Luis and Marisol. When I was nine my family moved to America because my father had been offered a promotion."

The smile on his lips started to fade away and his eyes turned dull. "Our happiness didn't last long, though." He swallowed deeply and fixed his gaze onto his bare feet.

Yuriko would never tell him so, but she found herself enchanted by his tale. She waited patiently for him to continue, watching as he stared listlessly at the ground. All the charm had left him and now his shoulders slumped helplessly.

"I was eleven and we were driving in the car one night in the summer." Janos finally answered."That was the night I discovered my powers. I was playing a game with Marisol; I guess I twisted my wrist too sharply. The car flipped and –"

His breath caught suddenly, making his chest shudder as he drew the breath out. "And I woke up and everyone was dead."

The silence was so thick Yuriko could feel it pressing against her chest like a brick. Why was it suddenly so hard to breathe? There were chills across her whole body yet the air was still warm. All Yuriko could do was watch as Janos a single tear fell from his eye.

He breathed slowly, though his eyes were still dull. Janos hadn't risen his head to meet her gaze, only drew his knees carefully to his chest.

"So," his voice was completely drained of emotion, "That's how I came to be."

"How could you ever forgive yourself for that? You murdered your entire family." Yuriko's thoughts flew out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Janos snapped his head up instantly; the look in his eyes chilled Yuriko to the bone. "It that what you think I did?"

His voice came out in a snarl. "You think I killed them on _purpose?_"

The wind began to pick up again, though this time it stung against Yuriko's skin. It hurt her, and she pressed herself closer to the wall. It did nothing to shelter her from Janos' growing rage. Glancing around she squinted as dust flew into her eyes."Janos, you're making it –"

"Don't you dare use my name again!" His eyes looked soulless, brutal and cold. Yuriko saw that he was beginning to fist his hands; the wind howled so louder she could barely hear him as he screamed, "God, you make me sick! I pour all my secrets out to you and you blame me for my sins?"

Janos stood to his feet, apparently no longer feeling the pain of his back in the mist of his anger. "How could you! I trusted you!"

Yuriko wanted to leap up and dig her talons through his heart – but she couldn't. The wind kept her pinned to where she sat on the ground. All Yuriko could do was look up at him; the wind was moving so fast, she could see his hair blowing around his face and over his eyes, making him appear more intimidating.

"Th –the wind is h – hurting me –" Yuriko hated how weak she sounded right now, but everything was starting to get to her, making her stammer.

"It's going to hurt a hell of a lot more when I'm done with you," he hissed in reply, his jaw and fists clenched.

"P – Please," Yuriko's whisper was raw; the wind was drying out her lungs. "The truce –"

"I don't care about your stupid truce!" he spat mercilessly at her.

A certain expression crossed her face, and his eyes glinted sharply. "What's wrong, Yuriko? Do I scare you?"

Janos backhanded the wind; the force of it hit the side of Yuriko's face like slap. She gasped and nearly fell to the ground but managed to catch herself. Her cheek burned like she had been cut with a knife. Though Yuriko had been slapped before, it had never felt like this.

Her chest was heaving as she tried to steal back air into her lungs but it was hopeless; the wind continued to snatch it from her. A shot of fear stabbed into her heart – followed by pain. If her lungs dried up her body would shut down. If – if he would just let her get air –

But when Yuriko looked up at him and saw the animal in his eyes, she knew that he would never let her live from this. She had blamed him for killing his entre family. Yuriko almost wanted to say sorry, but her wounded pride would not let her. She was _Yuriko, _the ghost who could outrun and kill anybody. Except this boy. Except Janos, with his charming wit and dangerous edge. Finally, after all these years on the streets, she had met her match. That was a day she hadn't see coming.

Yuriko was lost so deep in those black eyes that she almost missed it when he spat through clenched teeth, "What ever happened to your family, I hope they hate you. Because that's the least you deserve."

Then he pulled both fists toward his chest; Yuriko's body jolted forward and she was slammed face first onto the ground. The impact shattered seven of her ribs and her left cheekbone; already the blood streamed from her chest and face in a pool. It was sticky and hot like molten lava; never before had she felt so much _pain_. The agony raged from every broken bone, it sunk into all her pores and drilled deep into her had a healing factor – why wasn't she healing?

All she could see of Janos was his bare feet; he walked forward till his toes were right up in her field of vision. A crashing sound made it to her ears; were the brick walls crumbling around them? Yuriko tried yet again to breathe but nothing made it to her lungs.

Slowly, her vision began to blur, the grey of the ground and Janos' dirty feet blending together. Yuriko's eyelids felt extremely heavy; she knew that if she closed them her heart would give out. More than anything, she wanted to fight it…she wanted to tell Janos that she was _sorry _for what she'd said to him… but it all too late for that. Here she was, lying at the feet of the young man she had killed and brought back to life…and now he was about to kill her. _Well, _she found a smile coming to her lips in her last seconds, _at least now we're even._ Her heartbeat came to her ears, incredibly slow. It was the last thing she heard before…everything…fell away…

**Want more? :3  
>Wanna know what happens next? Please tell me in a review! Once again, thank you so much for taking interest in this story! You're all awesome!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Here we are people, chapter 3! Yay! Sorry this one was uploaded a little later than the previous chapters; school is going to start again soon so I'm getting ready for that.**

** But anyways, enough about dredaful school! Let's read, shall we? Enjoy chapter 3!**

Janos brought his hands forward much like when he had first clashed with Yuriko. The wind instantly followed his gesture, shattering the glass plane of the store in a loud, but majestic, curtain. Janos' heart to leap into his throat. _Don't have much time, _he told himself as he leapt into the store, _got to make it out quick before anyone wakes up. _Snatching up a purple hoodie, a pair of navy jeans and black sneakers, Janos ran from the store with his loot in his hands. Stopping a couple of lanes away, he changed into what he had taken. The clothes felt so good against his bruised skin; so soft and warm. It felt like home… _no, _he snapped out of his thoughts, shaking his head. He couldn't think of home, of the past. After what he done to his family, he didn't deserve to remember them. Janos almost wished that someone would wipe his memory so that he _didn't _know what happened. That way, he could just think that they had abandoned him… better than to know he had killed them all.

Janos was so lost in his thoughts as he walked along, he missed the small gang in his path. Colliding into one of them he instantly stumbled back. Too late to apologise or back off; the person grabbed him by the collar of his hoodie and cried furiously, "Hey! Watch where you're going, street scum!"

"Sorry," Janos held his palms up, showing the man he meant no harm. What he really wanted to do was punch this guy's face in for grabbing him the way he did. But that would be stupid; it would make matters worse, and he could get shot because of it. Janos eyed the guns in these guy's pockets, knowing they would readily shoot him. Although Janos wasn't exactly one to back down from a fight, he knew not to put his life in the balance.

"Hey," one of the goons stepped forward and peered closely at Janos' face. "Isn't that the guy that Azazel's offering a big ass reward for?"

_Oh crap, _Janos thought, his heart beginning to race. They'd recognised him.

"Well, shit!" The man holding him grinned right in his face, revealing decayed teeth. "So it is!"

"I'm calling Azazel," another man in the background said. Janos could see him already pulling out his phone and hurriedly pressing away on the screen.

Instinct – the fear of being caught by the vicious Azazel – made Janos shove the yellow-teethed man away, turn, and run. A strong hand shot out and grabbed him by the hood of his sweatshirt, knocking the breath from his lungs as he was jerked backward. Pain flashed behind his eyes and clawed at his throat; he coughed and gasped for breathe and found himself jerked back around to face yellow-teeth.

"You're not going anywhere," the man grinned greedily into Janos' face. "With the money Azazel's gonna give us for handing in your ass –"

With a furious yell, Janos punched the man full in the face, making contact with his nose and shattering it. _Man, _that felt so good! Yellow-teeth screamed in agony and crumpled with both hands over his broken nose. Janos could see the blood seeping through his thick fingers; satisfaction soared through his chest, giving his heart a burning sensation.

The other gang members instant shouted and screamed; yanking their pistols out of their back pockets, they held them up to Janos' face. The young man's heart nearly stopped when he found himself staring down four gun barrels; he could use his aerokinesis, but at what cost? If he tried to jerk the guns from their hands, one of the triggers could pull. The last thing Janos wanted was to get shot. Then again, getting hit with a bullet would be way better than the gruelling torture Azazel had probably planned for him…

_Eh, what the hell, _Janos finally decided. If he was to get shot, then so be it. He had to get out of this situation somehow, so he used the one way he knew: with his mutation. As his attackers were stilling pointing their guns and screaming at him Janos gave them a wide grin. His eyes gave off a spark that seemed to make them nervous. _Good, _Janos thought darkly as he watched a pair of them share an uneasy glance. _They're going to wish we'd never crossed paths._

With that, he crossed his arms over his chest and began to spin.

**XxxxX**

Yuriko quickly stuffed the stolen pieces of sushi into her mouth, unable to swallow fast enough. God, it had been _so long _since she had tasted something as heavenly as this. Closing her eyes as the last bite went in, she pressed her head back against the brick wall and heaved a sigh of contempt. The past week had been pretty calm…a few more robberies here and there, a few more people on her list to avoid. Not that there were many, only ones that posed a threat to her. Jason Stryker, Wolverine…Janos.

Her eyes instantly narrowed as she thought of the young man. Just eight days ago he had killed her. _Her! _The boy with the power over the wind had managed to steal her breath away – _not _in a romantic sense _at all –_ and she'd died because of it. Now that Yuriko thought about it, was her first time dying had been so terrifying. The other times, she'd been stabbed or shot meaning that she'd bled out. That was normal; she was used to seeing all her blood everywhere. But experiencing suffocating was _not _pleasant at all. It was a kind of pain she was not used to – an infinite burning sensation every time you tried to move, every time you tried to just _breathe. _Breathing came as easily as blinking; to have that privilege taken away from you was agony.

Yuriko didn't really want to cross paths with the boy again if she could avoid it – he hadn't exactly been pleasant company last time. Then again, she had deserved the actions he had taken out on her. She just hadn't seen it coming.

And that was one thing that really got Yuriko's blood boiling: being caught unaware. She liked to be able to read her enemies moves before they even took them; she like to hold that power over their heads and play with them. To be surprised by _someone else's _attack – Yuriko couldn't think of another way for someone to have a target painted their backs.

The sound of nearby screaming snapped Yuriko out of her deep thoughts. Pushing away from the wall and to her feet, she followed the sounds of pain to the edge of the rooftop. Her body had already tensed up, ready to fight whoever might see her above them. Keeping her head low, she peeped over the rooftop edge and looked down on the side street below.

The sight stole her breathe away, leaving her numb with disbelief. _What the hell…_

There, on the pavement, was a hurricane. It wasn't excessively large but big enough to be the height of an average male. Yuriko shook her head and blinked, thinking she had a loose screw. Why on earth would a hurricane land here? What had caused it? There were so many questions that burst in Yuriko's mind but she had no way to answer them.

Suddenly she saw in figure caught in the centre of the hurricane. The person was spinning around with such force it was a wonder their head hadn't come off. _Oh Jesus, _Yuriko thought. Caught in a hurricane; what a way to go. Then she peered closer at the person and – _it was_ _him. _It was that boy, Janos_. How is he still alive, _Yuriko wondered, watching him spinning in a blur. Anyone else would have their limbs torn out of their sockets. Unless…_wait a minute. _Things started to fall into place; the way Janos had sucked the air from her lungs, that wall of wind he'd first blown at her…_he can create tornados?! _If she was wary of him before, now the threat from him just sky-rocketed.

Tornados were a devastating force, something that should not be messed with. And this boy could create them? Suddenly, Yuriko remembered the couple of freak tornados that had happened a little over a month ago. _That was probably him… I wonder what got him so riled up. _If what she had said caused him to steal her air, she wondered how pissed off this gang had made him for him to create his tornado. The said gang was firing upon Janos, obviously trying to kill him but to no avail. Yuriko couldn't see the bullets, but knew that they were being destroyed in the tornado from the fact that Janos hadn't appeared to be hit. In a state like this, he seemed almost invincible.

Excitement bubbled in Yuriko's throat, along with a little unease. She knew Janos was powerful, but to see him at his full force was actually a little scary. Not that she would tell him that – or anyone, as a matter of fact. _I wonder if he'd laugh to know I found him a bit scary,_ Yuriko wondered as she watched the gang finally get torn to bits in Janos' wind force. Blood soared through the tornado as fast as the winds, making it turn red. _A tornado made of blood…_

Within moments, all that was left of the gang members was dismembered bits of body and torn clothes. Knowing this, Janos began to slow his spinning; the wind died then eventually stopped to reveal him standing there, covered in blood from head to toe. His expression was stony; not even a hint of remorse of what he just done. Yuriko continued to watch, wondering what Janos would do next. What he did surprised her; Janos pulled his blood-soaked hoodie and shirt over his head and dropped them at his feet. Yet again, she was given another wonderful view of his musculature. She wanted to roll her eyes but instead Yuriko found herself staring at his abs as he breathed in and out heavily.

After running a hand through his wild hair, Janos took of running in the direction of where the local lake was. Yuriko watched him go, watched his muscles move under his skin. She didn't chase him – _not that I would even want to, _she told herself hastily. _Why _should she feel attracted to this guy? He had _killed _her, for Christ's sake! But…all the same…Yuriko couldn't stop the pang in her chest the instant he disappeared from sight.

**XxxxX**

The wind was cold against Janos' skin, cooling the wounds on his body; he sighed heavily with relief. With his wounded hands pressed against the brick wall, he let his head hang from his neck in exhaustion. Pain struck again as he moved, causing a wince to cross his bloody face. It was his ribs; he'd taken that spinning kick full on.

For the past couple days, Janos had found himself unable to stay away from violence. If he saw someone that looked dangerous or fit enough, he would readily start a fight. If anyone made an aggressive move towards him, such as pointing their finger straight at his chest, Janos would smash their face open. Anyone he fought he tore to pieces – whether that meant literally in the form of a tornado or beating them to a bloody pulp. Once he had even thrown a man down onto a bed of barbed wire then wrapped it around his throat.

The blood on his skin right now was mostly his. He'd fought a man who called himself Bradley, or Blot. It wasn't that he had been particularly big or strong; it was the fact that Bradley had also possessed a mutation. Janos hadn't expected it when Bradley had mentally cut the lights to the building, forcing Janos to fight in complete darkness. It had been brutal, as usual – but being in the dark, not knowing where his enemy was unnerved Janos. If this had been any other street fight he wouldn't have come away with bruised ribs and blood pouring down his forehead.

_If Azazel wants to kill me, _Janos thought as he slowly raised his head to look at the blood-smeared wall, _then he's going to die trying. _His confidence in killing had improved dramatically – heck, he would even take Yuriko on just for the sake of it. He hadn't seen the girl since he'd killed her, but he knew she wasn't actually dead. There had been a robbery of knee-high black combat boots, and something told him it had been Yuriko to do those honours. She seemed to like black; she liked blending into the shadows and hiding away from the rest of society.

But there was something that Janos had seen in Yuriko's eyes that made him think she wasn't doing this by choice. He couldn't help but wonder, _what happened to her family? Did she damage them, or they her? _What had been so horrific that it caused Yuriko to hide herself from everyone else? _Maybe someone _did _hurt her in the past, _he sighed. _Maybe she's afraid of being hurt again. _Whatever the reason, Janos couldn't help but feel a little concerned about her well-being. She was so thin and - though she was an extraordinary fighter – there was a sense of vulnerability about her…and Janos wanted to protect that.

Pushing himself off the wall, he pressed a bleeding hand to his bruised ribs. He could actually use Yuriko's help right now; she had done an amazing job of tending to his wounds before. The scratches had become scars over a short amount of time: five long strikes across his skin. Only _she _could leave marks like that…and only she would stay in his mind till the point of insanity. With a tiny smile on his lips, Janos started to make his way toward the alleyway she called home.

**XxxxX**

Yuriko's breath was shallow as she ran across the rooftops of buildings. _This _was what she was born to do; to feel the adrenaline of life. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, she couldn't help but grin to herself. Those black combat boots she had taken for herself looked amazing on her; it was too much temptation not to wear them with red and black striped socks. Although the red was colour on her stealth outfit, she didn't want to change it. Her heart was pounding in time with her feet, like an endless drum that made her body thrill with power from head to toe. In free moments like this, she felt as if nothing could touch her –

A body was thrown against hers, causing Yuriko to tip toward the edge. She extended her talons as she lost her balance and fell from the rooftop. As wind and concrete rushed past her, she scrambled - tried _so hard _to dig into something, to find an anchor of some sort – but she couldn't. The ground rushed up toward her and she hit it with a horrific _thud. _If anybody else had been in her situation, they would have surly been splattered across the ground. But Yuriko wasn't; instead every bone in her body shattered to a million pieces. Yuriko didn't scream or even whimper in pain – she'd been mentally preparing herself for this moment and now it had happened. The absolute agony immediately began to fade as quickly as it had come; within ten seconds, the split in her skull was almost gone, her skin regrown. As she carefully pushed herself up onto her elbows, only one thought was running through her mind: _Who the hell pushed me?_

"Where is Janos?" Someone from the darkness asked coldly; they carried a slight Russian accent.

Yuriko's heart instantly froze as she recognised the voice – _No, _she wanted to scream. _No, it can't be you!_ But before she could scramble to her feet to run, before she could even think of fighting him – Azazel teleported right in front of where she lay. Fear stabbed her in the chest at the sight of him again, real fear.

He looked deadlier than before, if that was possible. His black suit was covered in knives and blades and swords. The man stood above her, staring down at her with the same cold expression he used all those years ago. Yuriko wanted to impale him with her talons, she wanted to scream that she was _someone_ now – but she was frozen with fear as she stared into his eyes.

All the memories of what had been done to her came crashing back. She swore she could feel those knives ghosting against her skin now; those bullets that had buried themselves into her flesh. _No, _she screamed her thoughts. _No, you're better than this! You can fight this, Yuriko! Look at how much you've fought through already! _But she found herself immobilised by fear just at the very sight of Azazel; it reminded her much power he had held over her. He and his 'friends'. That was power that they always would hold over her.

If Azazel had noticed how stiff she seemed, how still and pale, he didn't show it. Instead, he bared his fangs and asked again, this time in a darker and less impatient tone "Where is Janos?"

Somehow through all the emotions surging through her, Yuriko managed to keep her face blank and reply coldly, "I don't know who you mean."

"You know _exactly _who I mean!" Azazel spat at her; Yuriko could see his forked tail swishing over the ground like a furious cat.

Before she could even blink, the man had unsheathed and swung a samurai sword at her, cutting deep into her left shoulder. Yuriko couldn't even allow herself to gasp in fear or pain; the wound closed up instantly but the feel of her own blood slipping down her skin made her feel sick. _Just like the past, _she screamed inward. _This can't be happening again._ With a glance at the samurai sword that was now still at Azazel side, memory choked her as she saw her blood drip from the edge of the blade.

"One of my sources saw you with the boy." Azazel continued coldly; it was as if he had not cut her a few moments ago, like nothing had happened. "You were tending to his wounds. So, I'm going to ask you one more time."

Azazel drew out another shinning sword from behind his back, lowering it slowly to his other side hissing, "_Where is Janos?"_

**Cliffhanger! What do you think's going to happen next? Will Yuriko tell Azazel where Janos is? And what was all that about the recurring memories? Who are Azazel's 'friends'?**

**Gotta wait till the next chapter, sorry!**

**Thank you so much to those who are following this story, you have no idea how much it means to me! Every time I see the number of viewers increase, I feel like jumping for joy! Please leave a review if you find the time; tell me what you think so far!**

**Once again, thank you for reading!**


	4. Author's note!

**Hi everybody! I am SO, SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! I know you guys must really be hanging out for more chapters! Okay, so, I'll let you know what's going on, yeah? When I first posted these stories I was anxious to see the kind of result they would get (Like all us authors are, right guys?). A lot of people were viewing them, but nobody was leaving a review so I couldn't tell if anyone actually liked it or not. Then, only the views on "chapter 1" were going up, meaning that people were starting to read it then quit onto something else. That got me wondering, "What have I done wrong? Why don't people like what I've written?" I stopped planning new chapters, thinking that nobody would want to read them.**

**I'm the kind of person that, if I stop doing something I could be really into (writing), then my skills instantly start to deplete. It becomes harder to churn out only 500 words whereas before I could easily do 4000. I honestly didn't have the heart to continue my stories anymore.**

**But then CrawlerCraft reviewed "Blank Cobwebs"! Thank you so much, Crawler Craft, from the bottom of my heart! I got the heart to continue again, knowing that people out there actually did like my stories! So very gradually I am picking up where I left off on "Blank Cobwebs". I apologise again for not posting in a while, but I promise that there will be a new chapter up soon! Yay!**

**Thank you all for being so patient with me and for getting this far into the journey! You're all awesome! And _please, _if you have the time, review! It will mean the world of a difference to any aspiring author!**

**Bye for now! Chapter four of "Blank Cobwebs" will be up soon!**


End file.
